In mid-October, Erlan Baltabay was sentenced to five months and eight days in prison for refusing to pay a fine. He also faces a seven-year term for his involvement in the banned Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan

Erlan Baltabay faces an eight-year jail term on charges of misappropriation of funds although he has time and again argued that he was only in possession of the money since the dissolution of his union in 2015

Activists have asked the International Labor Organization to review the ongoing repression of workers in the country.

Ahead of the June 9 elections, the interim government of Kazakhstan has cracked down on activists and those campaigning for free and fair elections

There is still no clarity about the fate of as many as 20 workers who were arrested in the Zhanaozen region in February following protests by trade unions. Persecution of trade unions and their leaders has increased in recent years in Kazakhstan,